The up-and-coming list recognizes universities for making “the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty and student life,” based on a survey of college presidents, provosts and admissions deans. Other up-and-coming universities include George Mason University, Drexel University, Arizona State University, University of Southern California, Clemson University and Tulane University.

"These rankings reflect a growing recognition among our peers that PSU is an urban research university on the rise," said Wim Wiewel, PSU president. "The word is out about our commitment to excellence, community engagement and student success."

This year’s rankings highlight PSU’s success in engaging students in the community through service learning and Senior Capstone projects. PSU’s Senior Capstone courses are community-based learning classes designed by a faculty member to provide an opportunity for students to apply what they have learned to a real challenge in the community. The courses are part of PSU’s campus-wide focus on engagement through service projects, hands-on learning and community-university partnerships.

U.S. News ranks 1,400 colleges annually from data on up to 16 indicators of academic excellence, including surveys of administrators at peer institutions, student retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, high school counselor ratings and graduation rate performance. More information and full rankings are at www.usnews.com/colleges.